The present invention relates to a small, affordable short take-off and landing (STOL) and/or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft called a “Personal Aircraft”, or “PAC” for short. The present invention relates efficient and relatively simple means for producing vertical, upward thrust beneath the wing(s) of the aircraft.
A typical winged aircraft comprises an elongate fuselage forming a passenger compartment for pilot and passenger(s). The fuselage has two lateral sides and is arranged along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft that is aligned with the direction of forward motion.
The aircraft has one or more elongate fixed wings which are attached to the fuselage and extend outward from the two lateral sides thereof. The wing(s) have a leading edge and a trailing edge and a longitudinal wing axis that extends perpendicular to the aforementioned longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The center of gravity of the aircraft is located in a region between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the wing(s). Each wing has a first wing component extending outward on one side of the fuselage and a second wing component extending outward on the opposite side of the fuselage.
The aircraft has a prime mover with a propeller or other means for propelling it forward so that air flows over the wings and they provide lift. The aircraft also has at least one “thruster” disposed in the wing component on each side of the aircraft for providing additional vertical lift, especially when the aircraft is moving forward slowly or not moving at all.
An aircraft of this type is more fully disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,886,776 and 7,461,811, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.